The Internet is already abuzz with the news that after eight seasons, “American Idol” judge Paul Abdul has announced she will not return.

Abdul apparently made the decision public Tuesday on her official Twitter account, writing, “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to ‘Idol.’ I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1 become an international phenomenon.”

On a local note, let’s flashback to January when Season 8 began. In the year’s inaugural Culture Crumbs column, I wrote of the fresh hiring of Kara DioGuardi, and why it did not bode well for the tumbling Abdul. Here is an excerpt:

“On a side note, don’t believe any interview or press release about why the producers decided to mix up the chemistry of the core three amigos. DioGuardi is there for one reason and one reason alone: to replace the loopy Abdul when she inevitably self-destructs.

“It could be this season or next, but it is a mathematical certainty that it WILL happen.”

So for those who strongly debated that contention, here’s an “I told you so.”

Honestly, it was kind of a no-brainer. In fact, it was almost as predictable as the five words in Randy Jackson’s vocabulary he uses to critique a contestant.